Suppose you were to walk into a store and find a great pair of shoes normally priced at $200 on sale for $20. That would certainly be an excellent price, but whether it would be a good value depends on whether the shoes are your size. If they are a size too small, you would get no use from the shoes unless you were willing to tolerate the discomfort. In short, your purchase would be of little value to you.
When you choose a provider to develop an enterprise software solution by price alone, you risk buying the equivalent of a pair of shoes that do not fit. Enterprise software should provide solutions rather than problems. It should satisfy your needs and deliver certain benefits. If it does not “fit,” you will find yourself replacing it all too soon.
The first step when selecting software is to determine your requirements. What do you need the software to do? What are the pressure points you need alleviated? Be thorough and list every requirement. Go through the list and rank your requirements in terms of importance.
Once you know your requirements, you can then work with your technology partner to have software developed that will meet those requirements. This ensures that you will obtain the maximum value from your investment.
Finding out that the software does not “fit” during implementation typically leads to additional costs and missed deadlines. Anticipated cost savings can vanish, users can become demoralized and you risk having your business disrupted.
Price is determined by the seller. Value is determined by the buyer. Only you can decide on the value of particular enterprise software. You might say that putting value ahead of price shifts the balance of power in your favor.
If you need to develop new custom enterprise software, contact PhaseAlpha to learn how we can help. You can send emails to info@phasealpha.com, or give us a call at 1-913-648-9200.